Improvement in tool for meiding belts



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GEORGE W. MILLER, 0F WESTMERIDEN, CONNECTICUT.

Letters Patent No. 80,756, dated August d, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN TOOL FOR MBNDING BELTS.

To, -ALLl WHOM 1r MAY coNcnaN: y y

Be it known that I, GEORGE'W. MILLER,'of West Meriden, in the countyjof New Haven, and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improved Knife and Tool for Mending Belts, and I do'hereby 'declare that the following is a full,`clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters of 'reference marked thereon, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention.

Figure 2 is a front view, showing the knife-blade open.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through the line A B cf tig. 2.

Figure 4 is a back view ofthe knifeor tool.

Figure 5 is Aa plan view ofthe bolt, and

Figure 6 is a. side view of the same.

The nature of my invention consistsin the construction of a knife and tool for mending belts, whereby the p dilferent articles generally used for that purpose are arranged in one handle, and in convenient form to be carried in the pocket; and it also consists in the arrangement and construction of a bolt ina handle, for the purpose of securing the knife-blade, or other article to be used, either open or shut, so that said knife-blade or other implement will neither shut of itself in using, nor open of itselfinrthe pocket. I y

As generally constructed, belt-awls and belt-punches-are made separate and apart from'eaeh other, and when it becomes `necessary for a belt to be mended, it often happens that neither the punch norA the awl can be found, some one `else havinglthemv in use, or they 4may 'have'been left out of their accustomed place.- This 4is quite often the'case,. and a long and generally vexatious search -is the result, which has been, perhaps, participated in by4 more thanone employee. Such search is, of course, more orA less expensive to the proprietors or company, as more or less valuable time is wasted.V in the search, and,`of course, the machines, whose belts need mending, have to beidle until the belt is mended.

My invention obviates any necessity for such waste of time and money, as my invention can be safelyl and conveniently carried in the pocket, while it is convenient and eii'ective in its operation., i

.To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willV proceed to describe-its construction and mode of operation. i I i I Y l I take a suitable piece of metal, which may bc in the sli eet, and form it by any suitable means-into acase,

having a back, a, and vtwo sides, al a2, or', if preferable, said case may be. made oi'` cast metal instead of making it of metal in the sheet.I I prefer the latter, however.

vInto cneend of this metallic case, I fit a suitable .piece, b, which may be'of wood, metal, hard rubber, or of any other desirablematerial, said'piece b having a socket, s, extending lengthwise therein, into which is inserted aspring, tt' Aslot, 'r, is made in the back, a, of'the metallic case, through which slot is inserted or passes the neck ofthe kn'ob n, which is secured tothe bolt m in any suitable manner.

This knob 1t may be made of any desirable shape and size, as the fancy may dictate. The bolt, m, is made of a sufficient width and thickness at the end z to' occupy the space between the ends o o o of all the implements, and the back, a, of the 4ri'ietnllic case; or, in other words, the end', h, of the bolt is of a width nearly equal to the inside width of the metallic case at the end where the tools are secured to the case or handle, and of a thickness nearly equal to the space between the heel oV of the blade or.'tool and the back, a, of the case. -To'reduce the weight and save expense, I make the other portion of the bolt m more narrow, and with a shoulder at v, `the portion quite near the end being smaller still.' This Vsmall portion is inserted into the spirall spring t in the socket s, said spring bearing against the shoulder v, and operating to push the bolt m out of and away from p the socket s. i

The awl, d, may be of any 'desirable form 'in its cross-section u'sually'given to belt-awls, pointed at one end, having a shoulder and heel o at the other'end, like that of a knife-blade in a common pocket-knife. I

The knife-blade e is of the-same-form vthroughout astrhat given to common pocket-knife blades, and needs no particular description, the drawing showing clearly its construction.

'ment of a locking-bolt, herein'des'cribed.

The punch, e, is semicircular at 'one end, the point or end having a sharp cutting-edge, and also the edges ff being made sharp, the other end, o, having a shoulder and heel o`f the same form as that of the knife c and awl d. l

The end, o, of the knife e, awl d, and punch e, each has a small tube therein, through which passes alsmall pivot, z', which also passes through each side'nf the metallic ease, near its end, and'said pivot is headed down slightly at each end to secure it in place. I

' The several tools swing in and out of this case upon the pivot z', like the blades of a common pocketknife.

Asmall space, Z, is left in each -s'ide of the case,'for convenience in seizing the particular tool wanted in opening it.

Its operation is as follows When it is desired to use either one of the implements, all of them being shut, the bolt mis forced back into its socket s in the piece 6, by pressing the yknob n hack towards said pieceb. Any one of the implements is then free to be opened, and when open, the pressure against the knob uis removed, when the spring s forces the bolt forward, so that its end h fills the space between the heel o of the implement and the back of the case, which operation of the bolt m securely locks the implement open, so that it will not shut-in the hand while using. v.'lhe same operation of the belt m permits the implement to be closed.

As this bolt is much cheaper in its manufacture than the back-spring of common pocketknives,.it is evident 4that pocket-knivesmay bc made with advantage, as herein described, having a metallic vcase and locking-bolt instead ofthe common handle and back-spring, as now made; the use of such kuives'being safer by the employ- Instead ofvhaving the implements swing upon the pivot z', I might make the handle hollow or tubular, and, by the proper arrangement of springs and locks, cause the' implements to .shoot'out endwise, as they are wanted; but I prefer the construction hereinbefore described. i' l l -Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure hy Letters Patent, is

1. The bolt, m, with its'ispring t, in combination with the punch e 'and awl ol of a belt-unending implement,

or the blades of pocket-cutlery, when constructed and operating substantially as herein described, and for the purposes specified.

2. The punch e, blade c, and awl d, or'auy two of them, when secured in one handle for pocket-use, substantially as herein described, and for the purposes specified.

' 3. A belt-punch, having the sharp edgej' and cutting-point f at one end, and the shoulder and heel o at the other end, and secured in a handle by means of a pivnt, z', substantially as herein described and set forth,

GEORGE W,- MILLER.

Witnesses: Y

GEO. A. FAY, Cues.v H. SHAW. 

